Blood Moon
by TheChronicler42
Summary: Fluttershy meets a strange creature while running an errand in the Everfree Forest. It is nothing like she has ever seen, and it may be more than it seems.
1. Chapter 1

A thick mist slithered through the Everfree Forest like a serpent prowling through the night. Shadows clung to the trees and choked the underbrush beneath the stalwart luminance of the crescent moon. Innumerable stars bathed the firmament with the subtlety and grace of an artist's masterpiece. However, while most of Equestria enjoyed the peaceful stillness of Luna's demesne with a calm serenity, the dead silence of the Everfree was all but tranquil.

An unnatural darkness clung to the fog that permeated the forest floor. It was like a moss or a fungus that drained away whatever moonlight was snatched by the canopy and strangled the natural orchestra of the woods. There was not a single cricket serenading its obnoxious cousin, the cicada, or the gentle hoot of an owl hunting for its breakfast. There was no wind. There was only darkness – and silence. Cold, dead, silence.

Then the howling started.

A lithe form exploded from the bushes and galloped through the underbrush. Her pale coat was almost white beneath the dim moonlight, and the dense fog parted in the wake of her mad dash. She clenched her wings tightly against her barrel as she weaved through the foliage.

Fluttershy panted heavily. Each hoof-fall was a crumpled leaf or a broken twig – a blinding flare alerting her pursuers. A ravenous snarl came from her left. She darted to the right and dove under a fallen log. The loud snap of a branch (or jaws) ignited a burst of speed – as much as she dared, for fear of harming her precious cargo.

She glanced at her saddlebags. While the left was nearly empty, save for some emergency supplies, the right bag contained a small furry body. Fluttershy shifted her weight mid-stride and ensured the bags were firmly centered. Another growl. From the right. Dodge to the left. Another snap. Glowing green eyes – hunger, malice - glinted in her peripherals.

Fluttershy whimpered. She knew they were trying to herd her. They were probably forcing her into a dead-end where she would be cornered against a rocky out-cropping of the forest. Then they would close the circle, nip at her fetlocks, and then the alpha would lunge and te—

No, bad Fluttershy! She steeled herself and vaulted over a camouflaged hole. A yelp squeaked behind her followed by several _cracks_ and a _thud_. Now was not the time to think like that. Fluttershy knew this forest almost as well as the Whitetail Woods. All she needed to do was find Zecora's property and she could lose them with her wards. Yes. That's the plan. Find Zecora, escape the timberwolves, save the baby badger, and be home for breakfast. Shouldn't be too hard…

A snarl rumbled in front of her, and Fluttershy scrambled to a stop before a set of wooden jaws – with _very_ sharp teeth – snapped inches in front of her muzzle. The timberwolf's sickly green eyes burned with hatred, and Fluttershy nearly retched from the acrid stench of rot and decay that saturated the creature's breath. She leaped back on reflex, barely avoiding a swipe of its claws, and darted into the bushes.

It howled. Though she could no longer see it, the awful sound still sent shivers down her coat. If the Everfree was truly as unnatural – as _cursed_ – as ponies said, then the timberwolves personified the very essence of the forest's foul magic. Fluttershy always hated dealing with them. They were cunning and _always_ hungry.

The chase continued for several minutes. Her breaths were ragged and the howls closer. Sweat drenched her coat. Fluttershy was no earth pony. By now she would have tried to hide in the underbrush, but there was no hiding from a timberwolf's nose when they had your scent.

Fluttershy was sure she stank horribly at this point.

Where in the world was Zecora's hut!? Surely she hadn't passed it already. It was left, left, right, loop at the tree, follow the path a hundred feet, and another right… Right? She should be almost there…

Fluttershy rounded the corner and came muzzle-to-muzzle with the largest tree trunk she had ever seen. It was nearly twice as thick as she was tall and stretched a dozen body-lengths in each direction. She ran to the side but was blocked by a growl and a pair of green eyes. Fluttershy yelped and galloped to the left. Another pair of eyes greeted her. She gulped.

Maybe she didn't know the forest as well as she thought…

She turned around, back against the fallen tree, and willed the quivering in her hooves to stop. Three massive timberwolves, all two or three times her size, lumbered out of the trees. She scrunched her nose in revulsion at their stench and gagged. Fluttershy glanced to her sides, where another pair emerged.

"G-get lost, you b-big meanies!" Fluttershy stamped her hoof and glared. "H-haven't you eaten enough tonight?!"

The center – and largest – timberwolf snarled and snapped its jaws. It sprayed spittle and rotten plant matter across the ground. Fluttershy _eeped_ and fell to her haunches. She trembled and frantically searched for an avenue of escape, yet she was surrounded on all sides. Teeth, hate, and hunger met her at every angle.

Fluttershy whimpered and sniffed as she unbuckled her saddlebag. She held it close in her hooves with her passenger pressed against her chest. The pegasus let out a quiet sob as she curled around the saddlebag and pressed against the trunk of the tree with her back facing the wolves.

"I'm s-s-sorry, g-girls…" Fluttershy cried. "I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to our picnic tomorrow…"

Fluttershy closed her eyes and waited.

Snarling.

And waited…

Barking.

And waited…

Rot and decay.

And… _Thud_.

Fluttershy flinched as the ground shook. She shivered while a low rumble, like thunder, emanated above her. Why were they taking so long? Were they really so cruel as to torture her like this? She slowly opened an eye, craned her head, and gasped.

A massive white paw, bigger than her head, ground into the dirt just two hooves from her face. Razor sharp claws, black as obsidian, dug into the dirt like trowels. It was not the rotting detritus and branches of a timberwolf - but a real paw. It was white as snow and almost glowed in the dim moonlight.

Fluttershy turned to face the timberwolves and furrowed her brow. They were still snarling and barking, but most had stepped back into a defensive posture. She looked up and gawked at the massive _thing_ that stood above her. Silvery-white fur covered the enormous bipedal body that towered above the timberwolves. Fluttershy realized, to her astonishment, that the thunder was actually the creature _growling_. Thick drops of spittle landed on the ground. Hands, armed with the same dagger-like black claws as its paws, clenched at its sides. She couldn't see its face, but she could practically feel the primal ferocity radiating from the beast. It was an animalistic fury that dwarfed the bloodlust of the timberwolves, and if Fluttershy could sense it…

The alpha snarled and snapped its jaws. The beast standing above Fluttershy replied with a growl that reminded her of grinding boulders. Finally, the alpha stepped forward in defiance of the newcomer.

That was its final mistake.

The beast's leg muscles coiled like bands of iron before it vanished. A white blur flashed and wind buffeted her mane. Fluttershy shook away the strands of hair to see the alpha gone as well – replaced by a sizable hole in the foliage and several broken branches.

The pack was thrown into chaos. They barked, yipped, and snarled as they tried to discern the location of their leader and their adversary. One of them turned their hungry gaze on Fluttershy.

A deafening roar pierced the night.

It was unlike anything Fluttershy had ever heard. Not even the dragon she faced all those months ago could compete with its power. The sound rolled like thunder, but was stuffed with so much anger and hunger that it shook the ground and felt like a spike of ice in her heart. The other timberwolves whimpered and their leafy ears pressed against their wooden skulls. One bolted toward the trees. It made three steps before exploding in a shower of wooden shrapnel and kindling.

Fluttershy gawked. She nearly missed it with a blink. The moment the timberwolf tried to flee, the creature bolted out of the trees and _slammed_ into the wolf with the force of a train. Wood buckled, bent, cracked, and splintered like bones. The creature never slowed. It galloped into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing with the same fluid – and deadly – motion as if the timberwolf was never there.

Fluttershy's heart hammered against her ribs and it struck again. It was like a bolt of lightning armed with claws and rage. The timberwolves, with all their ferocity and cunning, could never match the speed and strength of the greater hunter. Each time they tried to escape, the creature would strike with just as much brutality and destruction.

Only one timberwolf remained. It whimpered and bounced on its front paws. Fear flickered in its magical eyes as it scanned the trees in search of its tormentor. The wolf's gaze found Fluttershy and it snarled. She gasped as it pounced. However, it hardly flew six inches before the creature's massive front paw shot out of the shadows and snatched the timberwolf by its hind leg. The timberwolf slammed into the ground and scrambled to get away, but the paw held its grip. Claws sunk deep into the wooden flesh.

The creature emerged from the trees. Fluttershy could only just make out the color of its coat and its bipedal stance in the darkness. It lifted the timberwolf by its hind leg and watched it dangled. There was something in the creature's eyes… It was hunger and the intensity found only in a predator, yes, but there was something else… Something-

It grabbed the timberwolf's throat with its free hand and raised the wooden construct above its head. The creature snarled – its massive teeth glinting in the moonlight – and it _pulled_. Fluttershy trembled as the timberwolf's whimpers and whines grew frantic. Wood cracked. Bark splintered. Sap drizzled onto the ground. It flailed and writhed, but nothing could escape the monster's titanic grip. She pressed her hooves over her ears as the beast unleashed another roar. It was joined by the sharp crackling of lumber being rent apart. Finally, the beast tossed the two halves of the timberwolf on opposite sides of the clearing.

A shower of sappy splinters rained on Fluttershy and she held back a retch. The clearing was silent except for the creature's rumbling breath. Its soulless crimson eyes swayed across the clearing and its nostrils flared. The beast's gaze fell on Fluttershy. She shielded her eyes with her wings and trembled. However, the gruesome death she was expecting never came. Fluttershy peeked through a wing and saw the monster drudge off into the dark. It stumbled around like a drunk pony, shoulders slumped and legs crisscrossing every other step. The monster snarled at the shadows, as if daring – no, _demanding_ – something else to come out and fight it.

Fluttershy squinted at the figure as it shambled away. It must have been a trick of the light or her own fears altering her perception, but it looked _smaller_ now. She blinked. The creature was smaller. A series of sickening snaps and a deep muted growl assaulted her flattened ears. Fluttershy watched in morbid fascination as the creature morphed and twisted. Its limbs and muzzle shortened while the torso became narrower. It was still bipedal, but was only about twice the height of a pony. Finally, after stumbling about for a moment, the creature collapsed to its knees and fell onto its face.

Fluttershy eyed the prone figure from several body-lengths away as her heart slowly calmed. Several moments passed. Her gaze shifted between the mutilated remains of the timberwolves and the strange creature lying several yards away. She bit her lip and whimpered.

"Oh dear… ohmygoodness ohmygoodness… What do I do now?"

She looked down at her charge. The baby badger trembled in her forehooves, but was otherwise safe. Fluttershy sighed in relief before strapping her saddlebags onto her barrel. Then she turned her gaze toward the strange and terrifying creature. The silence of the forest had returned - broken only by her throbbing heartbeat.

Several more moments passed before Fluttershy worked up the courage to stand. She shuffled her hooves, taking care not to step on any errant twigs, and made her way over to the thing's resting place. It was sprawled out across the gnarled grass and vines and, much to Fluttershy's relief, appeared to be out cold.

It was nothing like anything she had ever seen. The silver-white fur was gone, replaced by a peach-colored skin everywhere except for its head. A dark brown mane hung over its neck while a very thin coat of brown fur covered the creature's back and limbs. Fluttershy inspected its paws and frowned. The razor sharp claws, with a grip that could shred timberwolves like paper, were gone. What replaced them reminded Fluttershy vaguely of Spike's claws, except the ends (fingers?) were much longer and looked far more fragile.

Fluttershy poked its side with a hoof. It groaned and she squeaked while backpedaling several paces. She was relieved that it was alive – and even more so that it was in no shape to attack and eat her. The pegasus hummed thoughtfully.

"Poor thing must be exhausted…" Fluttershy whispered. "I don't care if you helped me just to eat me yourself. You saved me and this poor dear, and it would be very rude of me to just leave you here all by yourself for when the timberwolves reform…"

Fluttershy pressed her muzzle against the creature's side and gently shifted her head beneath its barrel. She gritted her teeth and heaved the creature onto her back with a grunt. Once she was satisfied with her footing, Fluttershy hobbled into the dark with its back feet dragging through the dirt.

"Now... Where was that path?"


	2. Chapter 2

Fluttershy stumbled into her cottage in the dead of night. She squashed her muzzle painfully against the door as she held it open. Her mane, matted and sticky with sweat, blinded her to the darkness of her living room, but that was far from her mind.

The creature was still draped over her back. Its weight dug painfully into her spine, but she sighed in relief as she crossed the threshold. Her legs quivered and she breathed in ragged gasps. Left-front. Right-back. _Breath_. Right-front. Left-back. Almost there.

A skittering across the floor boards made Fluttershy's ear twitch. She hoped her abrupt entry didn't wake up too many of her animal friends. Angel was already cranky enough in the morning. Several mice chittered worriedly at her feet, but she was forced to ignore their words to put more focus into where she stepped.

Finally, after several agonizing moments, Fluttershy collapsed to her knees at the foot of her sofa. She rolled her shoulders, deposited the creature onto the furniture, and quietly whimpered. Her back clenched with spasms and her legs felt like they had been implanted with hot coals.

Fluttershy laid on the floor of her cottage. The darkness of her living room seeped into her screaming muscles and left behind a sobbing numbness. She blinked away the tears and sweat – unsure if the caliginosity in her vision was due to lack of oxygen or because she never bothered lighting a candle. There was a shrill ringing in her ears that morphed into an angry hammer pounding the inside of her skull. Even the piercing agony in her side, which had felt like a knife lodged in her ribs, had turned into a dull ache.

Something prodded her cheek. Fluttershy blinked several times, cleared her vision, and focused on a white blob that sat in front of her muzzle. Angel scowled at her, but she could see the concern in his eyes. The white rabbit gestured between her and the sofa with his paw while raising an incredulous eyebrow.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a raspy croak. Angel nodded understandingly and hopped out of sight. She laid there, trying to catch her breath, when he returned with a glass of water balanced on his head. He gripped the glass in both paws and slowly tipped the edge against her lips.

She tried to lean forward and suck down as much of the water as she could, but Angel kept the flow at a steady pace. Fluttershy sighed when the feeling in her throat returned. Then she leaned forward and nuzzled the rabbit.

"Thank you, Angel." Fluttershy whispered. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I found a baby badger about to be eaten by timberwolves, and you know I couldn't just leave him there."

Angel pointed to the creature currently snoring on her couch and scowled.

"Well, you see…" Fluttershy blushed. "I was running away from the timberwolves – almost got away, too – but they kind of… _cornered me_. B-b-but this umm… Actually, I have no idea what he is… Anyway, he jumped in and saved me. The poor thing though was absolutely _exhausted_ from chasing them away. I couldn't leave him lying in the dirt, so I decided to take him home."

Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, scrunched up his eyes, and sighed. He squeaked, chittered, and glared at Fluttershy.

"I know that…" Fluttershy replied as she slowly climbed to her hooves. She winced as her legs protested. "But it wouldn't have been right. Barry worked out, didn't he?"

Fluttershy limped to a cabinet near the fireplace while Angel sighed in defeat. The rabbit followed closely as she pulled out a quilted blanket with her teeth. She tip-hoofed back to the sofa and draped the blanket over the creature's body. It moved suddenly and Fluttershy jumped back with a frightened squeak, but the creature merely grabbed the edge of the blanket with its spidery fingers and folded its limbs against its chest.

Fluttershy exhaled slowly, but the breath grew into a deep yawn. Her eyelids drooped and her head sagged. Maybe she could rest her eyes for just a mom—

 _Thumthumthumthump!_

Fluttershy jolted awake with a snort. She looked down to find a smirking Angel looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, thank you Angel…" she yawned again. "I better get this little one into bed, too, before I turn in for the night."

She untied her saddlebags and gently lowered them to the floor. Fluttershy reached into one with a wing and fished out the baby badger. It was curled up into a little ball with its chest rising and falling in gentle slumber. The pegasus deposited the badger into an empty animal bed along the wall.

Fluttershy trudged up the stairs to her bedroom, and Angel followed on her fetlocks. Her eyes were half-closed, so she did not appreciate the wonderful craftsmanship of the incline that carried her jelly-like legs, and her clouded mind was too focused on her destination to bother with the journey.

She nudged her bedroom door open. It was pitch black except for the sliver of moonlight that peered through her window. This went unnoticed, however, as she made the trek to her bed with her eyes fully closed. Fluttershy felt the soft fabric of her blankets and toppled forward into the soothing embrace of the bed.

She was asleep before she hit the mattress...

* * *

… And awoke with a jolt and a shrill cawing in her ears.

Fluttershy peered blearily through her tousled mane at the window. A haze of orange light soaked through the dreary grey haze of dawn. The searing pain running through her body from the previous night had dissipated into a numbing ache. It was like her limbs were turned to stone.

She attempted to rise. Her legs would have thrown tantrums if they could do more than twitch morosely. Fluttershy gritted her teeth and stretched out her hooves to either end of the bed. They burned, convulsed, and _popped_.

Fluttershy yawned wearily, shuffled her hooves beneath her barrel, and pushed herself into a standing position. Her legs quivered, but resigned themselves to their task. The pegasus gingerly stepped onto the floor and slogged to the bathroom.

A blotch of yellow and pink greeted her. She opened her eyes and her reflection stared back. Her eyes were bloodshot and her mouth was drooped into a scowl. The reflection grew blurry as her eyes sank almost closed.

She grunted and trudged to the bathtub. Fluttershy fumbled for the lever for a moment and warm water flowed into the basin. Steam wafted into the air and formed hypnotic patterns that mesmerized Fluttershy's half-coherent mind. Her eyes drifted back down to the water before she rattled her head.

She knew this was going to be a long day.

The yellow pegasus climbed down the stairs thirty minutes later. Her coat and mane were puffy and damp, but there was a firmness in her step that the water left behind. Freshly preened wings folded neatly at her sides while she hummed a soft tune. She tip-hoofed down the steps, careful not to disturb her housemates, and sneaked toward the kitchen.

She passed the sofa on the way. The creature's limbs were splayed out like vines, and the fingers of one hand brushed the floorboards with each rumbling snore. It was lying face-down on the couch with the quilt covering its back. Fluttershy peeked over to get a better look, but its shoulder-length mane shrouded most of its face. She could, however, see several faded lines that crisscrossed the creature's arms and legs. Some were long and thin while others were like off-colored splotches the size of bits.

Fluttershy frowned and hummed in thought. She took care of enough _aggressive_ animals to recognize what the markings were, but she could not place the shapes. They reminded her of claw and bite wounds, but they didn't look quite right.

She pushed the thought from her mind and set to her morning chores. A large bag of organic animal feed sat in a corner of the room beside a tall stack of clean clay bowls. Fluttershy gripped the scooper in her mouth and filled them. Dozens of tiny feet pitter-pattered across the floor and heralded the quiet stampede of Fluttershy's animals. They huddled and scurried around her hooves as she served their meals.

"Now, now, little ones," she admonished them gently. "There will be enough for everyone. You'll just have to wait your turn."

A few minutes passed before each of them were fed and watered to her satisfaction. She quickly found Angel and gently nudged him on the shoulder.

"Angel, I'll be heading into town in a bit. I need you to keep an eye on our guest while I'm gone. Send Mr. Robin to find me if anything happens, okay?"

Angel snapped his legs together and gave her a stiff salute.

"Oh, you are such a sweetheart!" Fluttershy cooed while patting his head. The rabbit's salute faltered as he grumbled and blushed.

Fluttershy tip-hoofed her way across the living room, gave the creature a curious, yet wary look as she passed it, and exited the cottage without a sound.

* * *

Fluttershy trotted down the path to town. She hummed a gentle tune while her wings fluttered in the cool morning air. Her hooves hit the dirt with a steady clippity-clop, and a passing bird was all too willing to add his song to her rhythm. The yellow pegasus breathed the sweetness of flowers and tang of morning dew, then released it with a content sigh. A honeybee lazily drifted by, buzzing a happy hum, laden with pollen for her sisters. Celestia's sun swaddled her mane like a warm blanket while the fresh morning dew cooled her hooves.

She looked up, squinted in the morning sunlight, and scanned the sky. A half-dozen stray clouds floated overhead. _Must have snuck in from the Everfree_ , Fluttershy thought. Her keen pegasus eyes caught the distant cloud structure of Rainbow Dash's house, despite the obstacles.

It was about twice the size of her own cottage. Greco-Roman columns lined the outer walls of the "courtyard" while a waterfall of spectra spilled over the edge and dissipated into vapor. The sun caught the edges of the columns' capitals and made them appear they were made of bronze. Fluttershy smiled before she spread her wings and took flight.

She landed between two of the columns a minute later. A cloudsteel mailbox stood proudly on her right. Fluttershy trotted past it, up the walkway, and stopped in front of the door.

Fluttershy pressed her hoof against a miniature thunderhead and a shrill buzzing reverberated through the house. It continued for several seconds before it faded away into a muffled hum. A familiar, raspy voice answered a moment later with an unintelligible shout. Fluttershy brushed a lock of her mane out of her face and waited patiently.

Rainbow Dash opened the door. Her eyes were bloodshot and half-lidded, and her mane looked like a tie-dyed chicken's nest. She blinked once - twice - and finally registered Fluttershy's presence.

"Huh?" she tilted her head sleepily. "Flutters? Wha-ahhhh…" she yawned. "What are you doing here this early? Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes. Everything's fine," Fluttershy replied. "I'm so sorry for disturbing you, Rainbow. I know you were working late last night, but… Well… On second thought, nevermind. Forget I-"

"Oh no you don't." Rainbow snatched her in a one-winged hug before she could get away. "You wouldn't come over unless it was important. How 'bout you come inside. Had breakfast yet?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then let me whip something up for the both of us. I think I've got some leftovers that are still good…"

* * *

Fluttershy nervously tapped her hooves together as Rainbow set two plates of reheated grilled asparagus on the table. She took an experimental sniff and smiled.

"This actually smells pretty good, Rainbow." Fluttershy gripped a fork between her primaries and speared one of the stalks. "What did you do with it?"

"Bah, it was nothin'," Rainbow Dash grinned and plopped onto a stool. "A little lemon, melted butter, salt, pepper, and you're basically done! My dad used to make this a lot when I was a filly. It's one of the few things I learned how to cook for myself before I moved out."

"It's good." Fluttershy nodded happily after she swallowed.

"Thanks." Rainbow Dash shoveled several stalks into her mouth and gnashed them into pulp. "Ho, wa bri' ya eer?"

"Well…" she curled her lip in thought. "Last night I was in the Everfree For-"

Fluttershy was cut off by a violent coughing fit from Rainbow. She forced the asparagus down before giving Fluttershy a reproachful look.

"What have I told you about going in there by yourself, Flutters?!" Rainbow gritted her teeth. "And you're telling me you went in there at night?! What were you thinking?!"

"I was _thinking_ , Rainbow Dash," she narrowed her eyes, "that there was an animal that needed my help. Emergencies don't wait for convenient and safe times. Sometimes danger is unavoidable. I'm sorry for worrying you, but I have to do things like this sometimes."

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and exhaled slowly through her nostrils. "Fine. I'll be telling your aunt about it, though."

"I'll be telling her myself when I come in on Monday."

"Whatever." she waved her hoof dismissively. "Now what were you saying?"

"Right. Well, I was rescuing this baby badger from timberwolves-"

"Of _course_ you were."

"- And, well, I was having a _tinsy_ bit of trouble getting away. Fortunately, this other creature jumped in and helped. It chased off the timberwolves, but passed out right in front of me! I couldn't leave him there, so I carried him back to my cottage. He's sleeping on my couch right now."

Rainbow Dash nodded and rested her head on her hoof.

"Well, here's the thing…" Fluttershy took a breath and steadied her hooves. "I've never seen an animal like this before. It was able to scare off an entire pack of timberwolves with no problem. I know I've dealt with Barry, and even manticores on occasion, but I don't think even they could do what this thing did."

Fluttershy retreated behind her mane. "I'm… Well… I'm a little scared, to be honest. I know it's dangerous. I can _handle_ dangerous. But, I'm not sure what I could do if it decided to go on a rampage."

"Flutters…" Rainbow frowned and placed a hoof on her fetlock. "You've scolded _dragons_ into submission. One critter from the Everfree shouldn't be that hard."

"You didn't see it, Dashie…" she shivered. "You weren't there. You didn't see the _anger_ in its eyes. It moved so fast I could hardly see it. A-and its roar!"

"Okay, okay!" Rainbow gripped her friend tighter. "I get it. There's a big scary monster in your house. You want me to keep an eye on it for you?"

"If… If it's not too much trouble." Fluttershy squeezed Dash's hoof in turn.

"No trouble at all." she smiled. "Just let me finish up here and I'll head over to your place."

"Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Fluttershy jumped over the table and wrapped her hooves around Dash's neck in a tight hug. "I won't be long. I just need to head over to Twilight's and see if she knows anything about it."

"It's no problem, really." Rainbow blushed and looked around the room. "Alright, enough of the sappy stuff. You head over to Twilight's. I'll handle everything else!"

"Right!" Fluttershy beamed and released her stranglehold. "I'll get out of your mane. See you later!"

Fluttershy hopped off the table and trotted toward the door. Rainbow Dash merely sighed with an exasperated smile and shook her head.

* * *

"Coming!" a voice called out from behind the wooden door.

Fluttershy waited patiently beneath the boughs of the Golden Oaks Library. She glanced over her shoulder and saw several ponies milling about the market square. Applejack waved excitedly from her stand on the opposite side of the clearing. The yellow pegasus gave a timid smile in return.

She was saved from making a further scene when the door creaked open. Spike stood in the threshold. His slitted pupils focused on Fluttershy and he curled his lips, revealing two rows of razor sharp, rock-crushing teeth, in a friendly and boyish grin.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" Spike stepped to the side and stretched out his clawed hand with a flourish. "Good morning! What brings you here so early?"

"Well…" she cleared her throat as she stepped inside. "I was wondering, I mean, if Twilight's not busy. If she is, I can come back later… but I really needed to ask her something."

"Nah." Spike waved his hand dismissively. "She's just finishing her morning coffee. Go ahead into the kitchen. I still need to finish my morning chores."

"Okay. Sorry for bothering you." Fluttershy nodded before quietly walking across the library's main lobby and toward the kitchen.

Twilight sat at a table. Her keen violet eyes skimmed over a folded newspaper in front of her while she nursed a steaming mug floating in her magic. She glanced up at the soft clickity clack of Fluttershy's hooves and blinked in bemusement.

"Oh, hello, Fluttershy!" She gave a polite smile and pushed away the newspaper. "Why are you here? Err, I mean… Not that it isn't good to see you. Have you eaten breakfast?"

"Oh, yes." Fluttershy nodded. "I ate a little while ago. I hope I'm not bothering you. Am I?"

"No." Twilight shook her head and rose to her hooves. "Of course not. I just wasn't expecting you today. Everything all right?"

"Yes." Fluttershy half-nodded, but stopped. "Well, no… Maybe? I'm honestly not sure. I was hoping you could help me with something. If that's alright with you. I don't want to interrupt any plans you have today."

"No. Spike and I just planned on doing some light cleaning. Saturdays are usually slow, what with foals putting off their homework until tomorrow. What did you need?"

Fluttershy described the events of the previous evening to the unicorn. She made sure to omit certain details that would otherwise burden her friend with unneeded worry, however. Her tail twitched nervously as she remembered the encounter with the timberwolves and the mysterious creature.

"I see…" Twilight hummed as she trotted into the lobby with her mug drifting behind in her glow. "Can you describe this creature for me again?"

"Well…" Fluttershy pawed the floor. "I didn't get a good look at it while it was chasing off the timbewolves. It was really big, covered in white fur, very strong, and _very_ fast. There were moments I could barely see it while it was moving. But, after the timberwolves were gone… It… _changed_."

"Changed… How, exactly?" Twilight hummed as she skimmed her bestiary tomes.

"It shrunk quite a bit. It's still really big… Almost as tall as the Princess, but it was bipedal, like Spike or a diamond dog. It also had hands like a minotaur, but the fingers were thin, long, and spidery. Most of its fur disappeared except for a thin coat. You can actually see its skin underneath."

"Did it have hooves?"

"No. Paws."

"Hmm…" Twilight squinted her eyes as several books leapt off the shelves and orbited her head. "It sounds like some sort of primate, but I've never heard of a _shapeshifting_ primate before."

"Do you think… Do you think that what I saw was its real form? Or maybe it just picked a different shape?"

"Unlikely. Most shapeshifting requires some form of concentration. It should have reverted to its natural state when it fell unconscious. I'll keep looking, but I really should see it for myself in order to accurately identify it. Who knows, it could be a brand new and undocumented creature from the Everfree! This could be an amazing opportunity. Only Celestia knows what we could learn!"

* * *

At that moment, several miles away in the palace on Mount Canterhorn, Princess Celestia sneezed.

"Sister, are you well?" Luna tilted her head between bites of her supper.

"Yes, Luna. Just allergies, I think."

* * *

"You should really be careful, though," Twilight continued. "If this thing could chase off a pack of timberwolves, then it could easily hurt _you_. I know you are good with animals, but even the best caretakers can become a statistic if they aren't careful."

"Don't worry, Twilight." Fluttershy hid her nervousness with a smile. "I'll be fine."

* * *

 _Oh, I really don't know about this..._

Fluttershy walked on the path back to her cottage. Her knees shook with every step and her wings clung firmly to her barrel with stress. The normally calming aroma of wildflowers and buzzing of morning insects brought her no comfort on her infinite trek back home. She bit her lip nervously but soldiered on regardless of her fear.

It was not until she crested the top of the bridge that she sighed in relief. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and squinted – daring them to be wrong – but they didn't budge in their report. She smiled.

 _Good_. She nodded. _It's still standing. Hopefully, that means he's still asleep._

Fluttershy quickened her pace into a trot and crossed the bridge. A few seconds after her hooves hit the dirt, her ears twitched at the sound of beating wings. She was only _slightly_ startled when Rainbow Dash landed in front of her with a thud.

Rainbow's eyes were wide and twitched side-to-side almost imperceptibly. There was a minuscule twinge in her tail, and her wings were half-spread as if to take to the air again. She met Fluttershy's gaze and she _knew_.

"He's awake, isn't he?" Fluttershy's ears drooped.

Rainbow nodded.

"Has he done anything yet?"

"Not... _really_." Rainbow glanced over her shoulder to the cottage. "It just got up, wrapped the quilt around its waist, and it's just... I dunno. Looking around, I think? It's so _weird_ looking, though. What is it?"

"I have no idea... I thought Twilight might know something, but all she could figure out is that it might be some sort of primate."

"What... Like a monkey?" Rainbow tilted her head. "Doesn't look like any kind of monkey I've ever seen."

"There's more to primates than just monkeys, Rainbow." Fluttershy fought the urge to roll her eyes. "But that's not important right now. You said he's just... Looking around?"

"Yeah. Just wandering around your kitchen. Not touchin' nothin'."

"I imagine he's in an unfamiliar environment and is just confused. I..." she gulped. "I should probably go check on him."

"I'll come with you!" Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest.

"No." Fluttershy shook her head. "We don't want to make him feel like he's being cornered. He might turn aggressive if threatened. I'll go in first and get a read on him. Just... Stay outside the door?"

"Are you sure?" Rainbow narrowed her eyes.

"Positive." Fluttershy put on her most assured smile, but her fidgeting wings gave away her anxiety.

"Okay..." Rainbow sighed. "I'll be right outside. If anything happens, I'll be there before you know it and deck him in the schnoz!"

Despite the incredulity of Rainbow Dash's claim of being able to hurt something that could rip apart six timberwolves without breaking a sweat, her words bolstered Fluttershy's courage enough to resume her journey to the door.

She took a breath.

Then another.

… And another.

And _slowly_ lifted a hoof towards the push latch. She pressed it forward and the mechanism retracted with a _click_. Fluttershy eased it open – wincing at the deafening squeak that she paid no mind to earlier that morning – and stepped inside.

Fluttershy froze at the sight of it.

The creature towered above her at more than twice her height. Its head barely brushed against the wooden beams of her roof. A dark brown mane fell across the creature's shoulders, even as the quilt she draped over it last night was now wrapped around its waist. Lightly furred legs bent slightly as the creature turned to face her.

A chiseled jaw, like stone, framed a mostly hairless face. Thick brown stubble shadowed its cheeks and grew into long wiry strands along the chin and jawline. Eyes, icy cold and sharp as broken glass, bore into her own. There was not an ounce of fear in them – but neither were they friendly. They were calculating – curious – like a pony observing a particularly interesting insect. Fluttershy suddenly felt very, _very_ small.

The creature moved its arm and Fluttershy nearly bolted out the door. It stopped, then moved more slowly. A picture frame hung loosely between the spidery digits of its hand. He placed it on a nearby shelf with something akin to reverence, and he lowered the hand to his side.

The creature's lips peeled back, revealing an assortment of teeth. Some were broad and flat like her own, but they were bracketed by two sets of sinister canines that sent an icy shiver down Fluttershy's back. It opened its mouth, showing a tongue soaked with saliva, and she braced herself for another one of those terrifying roars.

Instead, it _spoke_.

"Can you understand me?"


	3. Chapter 3

Fluttershy stared and gaped at the creature. It spoke. It actually _spoke_. She couldn't believe her ears. The creature that had swooped in like a vengeful hurricane and saved her from the wrath of the timberwolves – that she had driven herself near to exhaustion in order to bring to safety – and had slept on her sofa was in fact not a _creature_ at all. It was a _person_.

He stared at her for a long moment and frowned. The ape-thing folded its arms across its chest and crinkled its eyebrows.

" _Ti les... gia tóra_?" he tilted his head.

Fluttershy blinked and matched his facial expression. She willed her legs to stop shaking and focused on the last phrase. The pegasus did not know the individual words, but the tone and inflections _sounded_ familiar. It reminded her of the brief snippets of Ancient Pegasopolin she heard in school.

" _Nunc intelligis_?" he gesticulated. The sudden movement made Fluttershy raise her cackles, but she held her ground. Fluttershy was reminded by the flowing and somewhat musical language that Twilight often used when she read from her spellbooks. She had explained it as an old unicorn language.

It occurred to Fluttershy that he was trying to communicate with her. The words of his first phrase suddenly made much more sense.

" _Drêogan êow_ -" he began again.

"I-it..." Fluttershy interrupted the tirade with a whisper. "It was the first one..."

He stopped and narrowed his gaze on Fluttershy. She shrunk back and hid behind her mane, but she could still see his face past her hair, and she was sure he could still see her as well. Instead of lashing out, as she half-expected, he grinned.

"Ahh," he hummed in a rich, yet gravelly voice, and spoke with an untraceable accent, "you speak Terran, although you might call it something different... Perhaps Common or Basic?"

"Umm..." Fluttershy quivered beneath his attention. "It's c-c-called Equestrian... We're sp-p-peaking Equestrian right now."

His icy eyes twinkled and he smirked. "Of course it is..."

Fluttershy glanced nervously around the room.

"Perhaps," he started, "you can tell me how I arrived here? I have a few questions..."

"Well…" Fluttershy pursed her lips. "How much do you remember?"

The creature hummed as he paced across the room. Fluttershy stood transfixed by his gait. One leg stretched in front of the other and he simply _fell_ onto its support. His movement was controlled and fluid-like. She noticed the distinct lack of a swishing tail that would have otherwise provided him balance, but instead saw the subtle swing of his arms and the straightness of his spine that countered his top-heavy frame.

He leaned against a wall and scratched his face with his long fingers.

"I bethink…" he closed his eyes, "I bethink walking, or maybe I was working… Then there was a… _commotion_ … I think I tripped? Yes, that sounds right. Then it was dark, and I was running. I recall trees and… _you_."

The creature's eyes snapped open and bored into Fluttershy's. She eeped and flinched away, but the attack never came. Fluttershy slowly met his eyes and saw… concern? Fear? A heartbeat later it was gone - replaced by a cold and calculating gaze.

"I suppose I passed out on you…" he glanced at the sofa, "and you brought me to your hearth?"

"Well, yes…" Fluttershy ruffled her wings. "I couldn't just leave you out there, especially after you…"

"'Twas nothing. I am grateful all the same, lass," he waved her off.

"Oh, alright. So… Umm… What are you, exactly?"

"Eh?" he quirked an eyebrow, "You've never heard of…? Well, for now, let's just say I'm a sojourner. Ain't much special about me worth knowin'. Now, what about yer friend out there? Are ya gonna invite her in or let her impersonate a lawn gnome all day?"

"What?" Fluttershy blinked. "How did…?"

"I've got good ears." he grinned.

"Oh, that's interesting…"

"What?"

"Umm… I said th-"

"What?"

Fluttershy blinked. A moment passed as the creature stared. His face was like stone, but his eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Rainbow!" she poked her head out the door and gave her friend a reassuring smile. "It's alright. He seems safe. You can come in now."

Rainbow Dash prowled into the room with her tail swishing, wings twitching, and her ears flattened. She glared at the creature through squinted eyes. He met her stare and turned the corner of his mouth in amusement.

"So…" Rainbow sized him up while Fluttershy glanced nervously between them. "What the fudge are you supposed to be?"

"Just a traveler that seems to have wandered off the beaten path a bit. You can call me Lyall."

 _Lyall…_ Fluttershy rolled the strange word around in her head. A strange name for a fascinating new creature.

"Well…" Dash brushed her bangs aside, "The name's cool enough, I suppose. Not as awesome as mine, though, but I guess helping Fluttershy out last night makes up for it. Name's Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria and future Wonderbolt!"

"Greetings, Miss Dash," Lyall replied as he _folded_ his body forward and held a hand against his chest. Fluttershy clamped her mouth shut to avoid gawking. "And you seem to have answered my first question: 'where the bloody hell am I?' Equestria, eh? Has a nice wholesome ring to it. Are there only equines here?"

"Mostly just us ponies," Fluttershy replied. "Although there are a few gryphons and donkeys. There's also a baby dragon that lives in town."

Lyall raised an eyebrow. "A dragon, you say? I'll have to check that out. Oh, and before we continue this conversation… Miss Fluttershy, do you happen to have anything to eat? I am famished."

"Oh, of course!" Fluttershy jumped and trotted to the pantry, "Umm… Is there anything, in particular, you would like? I'm afraid I don't know what you can or can't eat…"

"Anything without hay or grass should be fine!"

Fluttershy opened the pantry and peered through its contents. _No hay or grass…_ she pondered. _Fruit should be alright. He looks like an omnivore, so maybe some eggs and fish jerky._

She pulled out a few apples and sat them on the counter, then retrieved a skillet from a cupboard and placed it on the stove. The yellow pegasus hummed a soft tune to herself as she sliced some onions, peppers, and greens with a knife pinned between her primaries. Her dexterous movements saw several eggs and the vegetables cooking in the pan on top a thin layer of oil. Fluttershy sliced several apples and placed them in a wooden bowl once the mixture was sizzling.

A few minutes later and the pile of steaming scrambled eggs and greens sat beside several strips of fish jerky. She gently shifted the plate onto a cloth and balanced it, and the bowl of apple slices, on her wings before carefully walking back to the table. She set the plate in front of him and the bowl in the center.

Lyall's eyes lit up at the spread. "My appreciations, Miss Fluttershy. Though, I am curious. I assume you are herbivores, yes? Why is it you have a stock of _lutfisk_?"

"I…" Fluttershy blinked. "I don't know what that word means… Do you mean the fish? Well, I do a lot of veterinary work for the local animals, so I try to keep a supply of meat for my more carnivorous friends. Dried fish is cheap and easier to store."

"Also," Rainbow kept her eyes away from the fish, "We're not _complete_ herbivores. We still eat dairy and eggs and stuff. Just no actual _meat._ "

"Interesting…" Lyall hummed. "So, you were saying, Miss Dash, that these Princesses - these _alicorns_ \- control the celestial bodies?"

"Totally! Celestia moves the sun and used to move the moon before Luna, her sister, came back from her cosmic time-out or whatever. You must have heard of them, though, right? Everypony's heard of Celestia, at least!"

"I can't say I have," Lyall smirked. "I've been to many places. Most people have their own ideas on how the heavenly bodies move across the sky. Lord knows I've heard some _interesting_ theories. Now, you've mentioned these timberwolves. Are there any other less-than-pleasant critters wandering around beyond those trees?"

"Timberwolves are really the only ones you can't reason with," Fluttershy explained. "The others will generally leave you alone as long as _you_ leave _them_ alone. There's cockatrices, manticores, hydras, and cragodiles, and we know there's at least one pair of Ursas."

"I've heard of the first three. They are, however, mostly legend where I come from. Never seen them for myself, though, so I couldn't say for sure. The other two… I'm assuming _cragodiles_ hold a resemblance to crocodiles, and Ursas are some sort of bear?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes. Cragodiles are like very big and heavily armored cousins of alligators and crocodiles. Ursas, though… Nopony really knows much about them besides that they're magical. Imagine a giant bear, bigger than a house, that looks like it's molded from the night sky. We've only ever seen an Ursa Minor. That was about a year ago. It was big enough to squash houses, and Twilight says the adults - called Majors - are a lot b-b-b-bigger…"

"I suppose we'll just have to walk the other way if one pops out of the bushes, aye?" Lyall grinned.

"Nah, I could totally take one on!" Dash said before stuffing a slice of apple in her mouth. "Be- _gulp_ -sides… Didn't Twilight say that the Ursas hibernate for like… centuries? I don't think we'll see one anytime soon."

"Ahh... That is a shame. They sound like quite a sight."

"By the way…" Fluttershy met Lyall's eyes. "I wanted to ask, if that's alright I mean… What do you plan to do now?"

Lyall hummed in thought. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure…"

"Don't you want to go home?" Fluttershy tilted her head. "I'm sure you have friends and family that are worried about you."

"I'll be fine…" Lyall grunted dismissively. "I am honestly not sure if going home is an option for me, however. I am from a long ways. Conventional travel won't really cut it."

"Why don't you ask Twilight?" Dash jumped in. "She can probably magic something up with that egghead of hers."

"Maybe…" Lyall shrugged. "Ain't no rush, though. There's a great big world out there, Miss Dash. Why not see some of it? I'll think of it as an extended holiday, and if your friend can't find a way for me to get home… Well… I'll get over it."

"Oh…" Fluttershy frowned. "Okay…"

She didn't understand. Didn't he have something to go back to? Fluttershy looked more closely at the creature. He didn't seem that old. Lyall was old enough to possibly have children but young enough to still have parents around. It was possible he _didn't_ have any friends, but it was unlikely. Even Fluttershy, shy as she was, still had Rainbow Dash and Zephyr when she was growing up.

"By the way…" Lyall cleared his throat. "I had one more question…"

"What's that?"

"Mayhap I can have some trousers?"

* * *

Princess Luna sighed morosely as she trudged down the hallway. He hooves clacked against the tile with a steady rhythm as braziers licked at the darkened walls with waves of orange and red.

She sighed again, but it grew into a yawn. Luna stepped in front of one of the large glass windows along the hallway. Light from the fading sunset glittered on the steel wiring that crisscrossed the window pane and draped Luna in a shadowy cage. She pushed a lock of semi-ethereal hair away from her eyes and squinted down at the city.

Canterlot snuggled deep into the descending blanket of twilight. Street lamps flickered like fireflies from Luna's perch. She could see the distant specks of ponies trotting the roads. Luna knew, from experience, that most of them were heading home for the evening. Others strolled along the walkways, dressed in fine clothes, and meandered to one of Canterlot's many high class restaurants or other venues.

Luna pulled herself from the window and continued down the hallway. She passed a thestral night guard. He stooped into a bow and Luna nodded. The Night Princess stepped into a cozy room.

The room was illuminated by the glistening radiance of a crystal chandelier and accented by candlelight. A wooden table, two body-lengths long, sat in the center of the room with a half-dozen chairs. It was covered by an egg-white tablecloth and an assortment of dishes filled with food. Pastries, pastas, greens, and a variety of fruits were arranged in a beautiful ensemble of color.

"Good evening, Luna." Celestia smiled up from her seat on the opposite side of the table. "Did you sleep well?"

Princess Celestia held a steaming cup of tea in her golden aura of magic. Her crown sat beside her on the table while her pale prismatic mane drifted in an unseen astral wind.

"Good evening, sister." Luna yawned and took her seat at the table. "I slept soundly, thank thee. The curtains thou recommended worked splendidly. That, combined with the silencing enchantment I put up, let me sleep like a foal."

"I'm glad to hear that. What are your plans for tonight?"

"I do not believe I shall hold court this evening," Luna sighed. "Too few ponies are willing to fare to the palace at the late hour. Mayhap I shall con more tonight."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Lulu." Celestia set down her tea cup and poured her sister a mug of coffee. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know if there is anything thou canst do." Luna grabbed the mug with a thankful nod. "Either the peasants will come or they shant. We cannot force them to stand before us."

"Hmm..." Celestia tapped her chin with a hoof. "Perhaps we just need to find your market."

Luna tilted her head and blinked. "Prithee, sister. Why doth we need to go to the market? Surely a servant would be better suited for the task."

"No, no..." Celestia shook her head. "I mean we need to find a demographic – a niche – that you can appeal towards. Most of the ponies I see in a given day in my court are the nobles and their hangers-on. It is very rare that I get to see commoners that aren't exorbitantly wealthy. I try to make myself available to anypony that wishes an audience, but unfortunately the nobles that flock around me tend to block anyone out that isn't part of their circles. There is not a lot I can do, but maybe _you_ can do something."

"What would that be?" Luna raised an eyebrow as she filled her plate.

"The nobles are obviously trying to avoid you. You're an unknown, and they don't know how to work with you. However, you can use that to an advantage. You can hear the voices of the ponies I can't. I imagine if you can appeal to the lower and middle classes, learn their concerns and try to address them, they will flock to your court."

"But Celestia..." she said while slicing a chunk of pineapple. "I have already conned many of the tomes thou gave me. None of them have helped me understand the common ponies outside of their broader history. Should I send an agent to bring ponies in at random for an audience?"

"No, I do not believe that will be received well. Luna, dear, I am going to give you the same advice I gave Twilight..." Celestia grinned. "Get out of those dusty old books and _make some friends_."

"But Tia… What if… What if they don't accept me?"

"Then that will be their problem for not seeing what a wonderful mare you are. Besides, I am sure you will do fine. The world is a much different place than it was a thousand years ago. Many superstitions have died out, and ponies are on average far more accepting of new things."

"Whither dost thee ween we should start?"

"Hmm…" Celestia pondered. "I would skip Canterlot for now, but there's also Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Manehattan, Vanhoover, and Ponyville. We can draw up some fliers, if you like, and I would recommend taking a couple of your Night Guards along - just in case. Equestrian cities are some of the safest in the world, but no city can be totally scrubbed free of crime."

"This… sounds feasible. Thou need not trouble thyself with those fliers, however. I would like to do them myself. Maker knows it has been forever since I have practiced any of mine art."

"When do you plan on leaving?"

"Methinks three days will be sufficient," Luna said as she finished off her breakfast and coffee. "Well, I must be off. I wish thou a pleasant evening, sister. I will guard thy dreams with diligence."

"I know you will, Luna." Celestia smiled as her younger sister trotted out the door with a purpose in her step.


End file.
